Thawing Frozen Meat Return to Meat Menu Page Busy cooks often ask about cooking frozen meat, but since the results are so often tasteless and unappetizing I want to show how quick and easy it is to thaw. Thawed meat can be browned, and that`where all the flavor comes from. When defrosting frozen foods, it's best to plan ahead and thaw food in the refrigerator where food will remain at a safe, constant temperature -- 40 ºF or below. Occasionally we forget to defrost something for dinner, so we grab a package of frozen meat out of the freezer and use hot water to thaw it fast. But is this safe? Not necessarily, this method of thawing may lead to food borne if left longer than 2 hours. Food must be kept at a safe temperature during "the big thaw". While foods are safe indefinitely while frozen., as soon as food begins to defrost and become warmer than 40 ºF, any bacteria that may have been present before freezing can begin to multiply. It is not safe to thaw meat on the countertop at room temperature as this allows dangerous bacteria to grow in just two hours, or 1 hour in high summer heat (90°F and above). Foods should never be thawed on the counter,or defrosted in hot water any longer then two hours because the outer surface of the food will be in the "Danger Zone," (between 40 and 140 ºF), temperatures where bacteria multiply rapidly. Use cold water to partially thaw small packages ofmeats like 1 lb. of chicken breasts, pork chopsor ground beef. This can be donevery quickly, usually in 15 - 20 minutes. Once the outside of the meat is at least partially thawed, it can browned very quickly. How To Safely Defrost Meat Refrigerator Thawing: Beef Pork Chicken When thawing foods in the refrigerator, there are several variables to take into account. Some areas of an appliance may keep the food colder than other areas. Food placed in the coldest part will require longer defrosting time. Food takes longer to thaw in a refrigerator set at 35 ºF than one set at 40 ºF. Planning ahead is the key to this method because of the lengthy time involved. A large frozen item like a turkey requires at least a day (24 hours) for every 5 pounds of weight. Even small amounts of frozen food -- such as a pound of ground meat or boneless chicken breasts -- require a full day to thaw in the refrigerator. After thawing in the refrigerator, ground meat and poultry should remain useable for an additional day or two before cooking; red meat, 3 to 5 days. Foods defrosted in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking, although there may be some loss of quality. Cold Water Thawing: Uh, oh! You’re home and forgot to defrost something for dinner! Use the cold water method to fully or partially defrost frozen meats. This is faster than refrigerator thawing but requires a little more attention. The food must be in a leak-proof package or plastic bag because meat tissue can also absorb water like a sponge as it thaws, resulting in a watery product. Fill a nonreactive glass or ceramic bowl with cold tap water and submerge the package of meat, changing the water every 30 minutes so it continues to thaw. Small packages of meat or poultry (about 1 pound) may be partially thawed in about 15 minutes, or completely defrosted in an hour or less. A 3- to 4-pound package may take 2 to 3 hours. Once thawed, the food must be cooked immediately. Foods thawed by the cold water method should be cooked before refreezing. Never thaw meat in warm water as this will allow bacteria to grow on the warm outer surface. Microwave Thawing: Defrosting in a microwave is a quick thawing method but is not recommended because of the difficulty in determining the proper defrosting time. Thawing times vary according to different microwaves and the size and structure of the cut you are thawing. The meat should have the store wrapping and foam tray removed and then placed on a plate or tray and loosely wrapped with material suitable for the microwave. Use the defrost setting if your microwave has one, otherwise close monitoring is necessary to avoid cooking to meat in the package before it is totally thawed. When microwave defrosting food, plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may begin to cook during microwave defrosting. Foods thawed in the microwave should be cooked before refreezing.